After Never
by PawfulOfSugar
Summary: Ever wondered what would happen if Twilight never received her friendship scrolls? In a completely reformed Ponyville, the corrupted Twilight Sparkle must find a new way to overcome Discord. Without the elements of harmony, she must find the resolve to tackle this challenge alone. And will her so called "friends" provide any help in this devastation?
1. Corruption

**Corruption**

"Twilight! Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, bursting down the stairs. In his haste he tripped over a book that was carelessly left on the floor. He picked himself up and, upon seeing the greyish mare, gasped. "What the...?"

Twilight Sparkle's head hung in defeat. "It's over, Spike. Discord won," she muttered. The crown on her head became surrounded by a light purple aura as it was flung telekinetically into a nearby trashcan. As much as Twilight would have liked to believe that her friends would come back to help her, it seemed almost impossible.

Actually, it _was _impossible.

Her friends were gone.

"Discord couldn't have won!" Spike exclaimed defiantly. He scurried across to the window and glanced out. He pointed a claw, but Twilight refused to follow it. Her heart already ached so much; seeing the expanse of Discord's destruction would only make it worse. "See?" Spike continued, clearly not letting Twilight's indifference affect him. "It's actually _daytime _now!" He glanced up at the clock, grinning widely. "And it's two in the afternoon! Just a few minutes ago it was dark." A frown slowly formed across the baby dragon's face as he tilted his head sideways. "Or does that say quarter past thirteen?"

"Spike," Twilight began, forcing a weak smile. "It's okay. We can move back to Canterlot." One heavy hoof after the other, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom. "There's nothing left for us here, anyway."

"You can't leave, Twilight. You can't! What about Applejack and Pinkie-"

"We don't need them."

"Twilight," Spike said, rushing up the staircase and easily outpacing her. He blocked her way into the bedroom and fixed her with a serious glare. "What's the point of leaving? It's only a matter of time before Discord starts attacking the other towns." Tears started welling in Twilight's eyes. She had lost everything.

"Besides, I'm sure you'll figure something out. You're the smartest mare I know!"

Hearing that made something ignite inside Twilight Sparkle. Whatever it was, she was filled with a renewed hope. "…I'm sure I can find a way."

"That's the spirit!" Spike said, shoving behind his back one of Twilight's quills that had spontaneously transformed into a full-grown goose.

"But I'm doing this one without the girls," Twilight said in a cold voice. She did not want those bickering mares interfering with any of her plans.

"What about the elements?"

"They won't work. We tried, remember? It's obvious that I need to do this alone." Twilight turned back around and galloped down the stairs. She pulled out a book from one of the top shelves and started coasting through the pages. There had to be something that could help her find a solution.

"I really hope Rainbow doesn't find out about what we did." Spike said as he pulled up a ladder. He scratched behind his head nervously. "Impersonating her and all…"

Twilight closed the book in front of her violently. "Even if she did find out, wherever she is, I don't think she would care."

There was one thing that was clear to Twilight: she had to rely on her own knowledge and power to save Equestria.


	2. Falsehood

**Falsehood**

"The next thing ah knew, ah was fightin' Discord by myself!" Applejack gesticulated with her hooves to emphasise the point. "Those good-fer-nothin' double-crossin' ponies just watched as _ah _did all the work!"

"Really?" asked Apple Bloom. Her wide eyes were fixated on her older sister. "Did ya beat Discord?"

"Yes."

"Then why can ah see him from here?"

"That's not Discord…" Applejack began fishing for words. "It's Fluttershy."

Apple Bloom pouted. "You always lie no matter what ah ask! Ah thought we didn't do that to each other. We're _family_."

"Exactly," Applejack said. She leaned back on the wall of the barn and let her hat fall onto her face. "That means _ah_ get to tell _y'all_ what to do."

Applejack heard a scuffling of hooves and a few mumbles and sensed that Apple Bloom was gone. Applejack felt a growing feeling of loneliness but shrugged it off; she should be glad to be away from those rotten ponies she called her friends. Even the thought of Rainbow Dash, whom she hadn't seen in quite a while, ignited hateful feelings. Although Applejack did not want to admit it to herself, she was embittered that her family already seemed to hate her. It was, after all, only a couple of days since Discord had begun his tyrannical reign.

Applejack peeked from under her hat and saw Big Macintosh working hard in the orchard. His steady hooves caused a mini tremor through each tree, causing every single fruit to fall. Upon closer inspection, Applejack noticed that her big brother had a stick in his mouth, and between bucking the fruits and harvesting, he would suddenly start chasing his tail.

Applejack decided that she would help Big Mac, and cantered toward him. Wordlessly, she began working beside him.

"Are ya planning on helping me buck _all_ these trees?" Big Mac inquired, simultaneously dropping the stick onto the ground. He inexplicably let out a gruff bark at the end of the question. It was more of a demand than a request, and Applejack understood why. Under Discord's influence, the apples had become elongated and a sickly yellow colour. They were rather like…squashes. The weird fruits would sprout up within the span of a few hours and, if they weren't bucked immediately, explode. They still tasted like apples, though. Granny Smith tested them herself.

"Nope," Applejack replied, pulling herself back to the present. _Low expectations, easy to impress, right? _

Big Macintosh turned his back to his sister and walked to another part of the orchard. He did not even look over his shoulder once. On his way, Big Mac spontaneously began digging a hole and buried the stick in it. A wet, drippy tongue lolled out of his mouth when he stopped to pant. His canine alter-ego only took over for a short while as within only a few seconds, he was back to his "normal", hardworking self, the expression on his face unreadable.

Applejack did not understand why Macintosh took her so seriously. Half-truths and white lies were perfectly innocent. In fact, they saved her from facing the horrible truth.

"Ya know what? Ah think ah _will_ help you with the orchard!" Applejack shouted after him. Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back to her brother and strutted away rebelliously. However, her pace soon faltered and Applejack's eyes dropped to focus solely on the path ahead of her as she drifted further and further away from her family.


	3. Parsimony

**Parsimony **

Rarity squinted her eyes in concentration. _Just one more thread…_

"And done," she sighed. Although that particular dress had only taken her a few minutes to plan and sew, Rarity was pleased with the results. _Very practical._

Just then, Rarity heard the boutique's bell ring. She scrappily scribbled a price onto a small card and slipped it in next to a clothed mannequin while cantering toward the door. The customer was a cream coloured mare with a blue and purple mane. Rarity searched her memory until she was able to match the face to a name. _Bon Bon._

"How may I help you?" Rarity asked impatiently, somewhat irked that Bon Bon was making faces of disapproval as she explored the boutique.

"Oh, a cat!" Bon Bon suddenly exclaimed. The mare ran up to one of Rarity's many work tables and started cooing at a clearly satisfied Opalescence. The white Persian was purring loud enough for Rarity to hear halfway across the room. Anger bubbled inside of her and she hurried across to plant herself between pony and cat, a scowl forming across her face.

"If you like cats so much, why don't you get one yourself?" Rarity hissed. Why did everypony around her have to be so impertinent? They all had the undying interest and naivety of silly toddlers. They could not seem to keep their hands off of what was not theirs!

Bon Bon was starting to back off when Rarity added, "And don't you even _think_ about stealing Tom!"

"Tom? Who's-"

"None of your business!"

Bon Bon's eyes were opened wide now. "I just came here hoping to purchase a winter outfit. It's been snowing for the past few hours."

"Really, has it?" Rarity replied apathetically. "Check over there." She pointed vaguely to the left and retreated to check on Tom in her bedroom. Sure enough, the handsome, gigantic chunk of diamond was still lying snugly on a purple silk cushion inside a skilfully crafted cage. Rarity had designed it herself.

Returning to the boutique, she found Bon Bon fumbling through a rack of thick clothing. She pulled out a brown sweater and glared at Rarity.

"_This," _she yelled, waving it around, "is the least repulsive thing in the store."

"Repulsive?" Rarity gasped. "How _dare _you use that word to describe my _beautiful _works of art?"

"The fabric is itchy and clingy, and it barely even reaches past my shoulders," Bon Bon explained angrily. "And this shade of brown is simply revolting. If only the other stores hadn't closed down!"

Rarity felt smug inside. Having little to no competition gave her a lot more leeway. She used inexpensive textiles to fabricate uninspired designs. Customers _had _to buy her clothes, and Rarity knew it. "It's all I have. Discord took everything away from me," she lied.

"Are you seriously charging fifty bits for this?" Bon Bon exclaimed, staring incredulously at the price tag. "Don't you have any integrity?

"I need the money," Rarity stated simply. Even though Bon Bon was tentative to pay for the sweater, she really had little choice in the matter. The weather outside was absolutely dreadful, and did not show any sign of letting up. On the other hand, it was not like the weather ever followed a pattern.

"I'll take this too," Bon Bon stated grudgingly, holding up a scarf made from the bits and pieces of Sweetie Belle's old stuffed toys.

"That will be eighty bits." Rarity stared hungrily at the small gold coins as Bon Bon resentfully retrieved them from her saddlebag.


	4. Betrayal

**Betrayal**

Rainbow Dash smiled to herself as she flew through Cloudsdale. The place was superior to Ponyville. Everypony here had wings_._ It was _loads _better for an aerial genius such as herself to be around her own kind.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow spun around to see a grey mare flying sloppily towards her. Her eyes flashed with surprise as her wings suddenly cramped up. As she plummeted down to the layer of clouds, Rainbow Dash winced. Derpy Hooves was never very coordinated, but this was just _weird_.

"Uh, hi, Derpy," Rainbow said tentatively. Derpy got to her hooves and shook off a patch of white fluff that had attached itself to her face. To Rainbow's surprise, a face formed on the piece of cloud and it blew a raspberry at the two mares. It then jumped onto Derpy's head and took the form of a cap. This time, Derpy did not even bother to get it off. The face disappeared and the cloud became unanimated again.

"You're flying," Derpy commented, her voice tinged with disbelief. "We need you, Rainbow Dash!" The cap shapeshifted into a sombrero.

"I can understand why you would _want _me," Rainbow Dash said, striking a winning pose. "But why would you _need_ me?" She stared warily at the grey mare.

"Nopony's wings work anymore," Derpy stated, pointing to a number of pegasi who were flying erratically. One of them crashed into a pillar and fell, dazed, onto the clouds.

"Nopony in Cloudsdale, that is. Where were you all this time?" This time, it was Spitfire who spoke. The feisty mare looked uncharacteristically gloomy as she walked up from behind Derpy and Rainbow Dash. She was not wearing her Wonderbolts getup.

"Just here and there," Rainbow replied dismissively. The truth was that she had trouble finding Cloudsdale. She had thought she had located it, but apparently it was one of Discord's tricks.

"We can't clear Ponyville's skies. We thought that it would be the least our pegasi could do: keep Discord's control over the weather at bay. It looks like you're the only one here unaffected," Spitfire remarked. Her eyes studied Rainbow Dash expectantly.

"That's _Ponyville's _problem, not mine," Rainbow replied immediately. Spitfire's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You're not going to help them?" Derpy asked plaintively.

"Why should I? They're doomed!"

Spitfire's face grew extremely serious. "So are we; none of us can leave Cloudsdale. Food doesn't grow up here, you know, and even the cotton candy clouds are hard to reach without us risking our lives."

"I'm sure you'll sort it out," Rainbow said, turning away. _If I stay here, I'll never be able to fly again!_

"You're going to leave us to suffer?" Spitfire was enraged. "All you have to do is bring us food! You won't even-"

"I'm sure there are _plenty_ of pegasi in Ponyville that you can ask for help," Rainbow Dash said drily. "Since you're so fond of them." She ignored Spitfire's angry words and Derpy's pleading as she flew away from the place she once called home. Rainbow was not exactly sure where she would go; pretty much every option seemed unfavourable. She eventually decided on settling down on a pink cloud at the edge of Ponyville, and near the Everfree Forest, as she did not really know any other places well enough to stay there. At least she was away from most of the chaos.


	5. Cynicism

**Cynicism**

Pinkie Pie stared relentlessly at the balloons. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her whole body tensed. Sadly, it was futile. Not even balloons, her own cutie mark, could bring a smile to her face. Nothing seemed to make Pinkie feel happy anymore. She had assumed that her cutie mark meant that she loved having parties. Sure enough, there was one right in front of her. She'd planned it herself. Even Gummy was there. It seemed good enough. The Cakes seemed to be enjoying themselves, at least.

"It's really great to have some time to relax in this awful period. Y'know, with Discord and…" Mr. Cake said, smiling. He took a sip of punch and glanced uncertainly at his wife.

Mrs. Cake's pupils constricted. "Oh, yes. We appreciate the party, Pinkie Pie. You did a _great_ job." She stressed "great" as if teaching Pinkie a new word.

"You're just saying that," Pinkie sighed. As she rose to her hooves and turned away from her mentors, Pinkie came face to face with a mirror and unconsciously studied herself. One thing was unmistakeably clear: Pinkie's lips were a thin, straight line. If anything, it had a slight arc downwards. _That's not what I want to see._

In the mirror she could see Mr. and Mrs. Cake laughing nervously as colourful streamers floated down on them. Some of the balloons had popped, revealing the rainbow strips of paper.

"Stop _laughing!_" Pinkie hissed, whipping around. _How dare they have fun when I can't?_

The Cakes recoiled at Pinkie's sudden change in mood. They exchanged an unreadable glance, their expressions gradually softening. Pinkie _knew _they were about to try to comfort her. She was sick of it. Holding back a stream of easy tears, Pinkie Pie burst out of the bakery and into the havoc that was Ponyville. She fought not to break into a gallop, but kept at a steady trot, observing her almost unrecognisable hometown. Flowers sprouted sideways from buildings, odd wolf-looking animals caterwauled as they circled the town hall, the brick road that had suddenly appeared was constantly switching colours from grey to maroon and several ponies were jumping from roof to roof to get around, simply to avoid the chaotic ground. Of course, the infamous cotton candy clouds were still looming over Ponyville ominously. Discord's tricks seemed to be getting more absurd as the days went by, and the stress of it all was beginning to show up on the faces of all of Ponyville's residents.

Colliding head-on with another pony brought Pinkie back to her senses. She rubbed her nose vigorously with her hoof, glaring religiously at the ground. She muttered an inaudible "Sorry" and was about to escape the confrontation when she heard a familiar voice.

"Pinkie Pie!?"

"Applejack!" Pinkie Pie jerked her head sharply upwards to look her enemy in the eye. Every ounce of her being begged her to hurl insults, but Applejack looked as furious as she felt. Pinkie wasn't ready to hear what the dim-witted country-pony would have to say if she were provoked.

"Look, ah'm happy to see ya and all, but why don't ya step aside so ah can pass?" Applejack inquired in a deceptively polite voice. Her green eyes were lit with fury and burned into Pinkie Pie's stormy blue ones.

All her tentativeness vanished, Pinkie Pie dared to take a step forward so that the two mares were once again nose to nose. "No, _you _let _me_ pass!"

"Girls, girls," soothed an achingly familiar voice. "Take it easy. I thought we were all friends."

Pinkie Pie and Applejack simultaneously swerved around, but found no one. Pinkie felt a scaly hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see the indistinct face of maniacal draconequus himself, Discord, as he slowly became less transparent.

"Now, how about we play a little game?"


	6. Malice

**Malice**

The helpless forest animals scattered as a bag of bird seed was flung at them. Several of the birds settled on a windowsill while rodents huddled by the entrance to a mouse hole. Some of the larger animals had no choice but to remain in full view of a furious Fluttershy as she panted and glared at the animals, deciding on her next target.

"If you're all so hungry, why don't you go feed yourselves?" she hissed. When the animals didn't respond with anything other than dismayed expressions, she groaned. Turning to a wildcat, fox and badger, she added: "Why don't you eat those mice? I hear they're _very _tasty."

With a unified squeak of horror, the rodents all rushed through Fluttershy's open front door. The birds, probably aware that they were the next item on the menu, fled as well. A few more harsh words sent the rest of the animals scurrying, leaving Fluttershy alone in peace.

"Angel!" she called out sweetly. "Angel bunny! Where are you?" When she didn't get a reply, she reached for a bowl of carrots she happened to have on the dining table. "I have your favourite carrots," she added through clenched teeth. "If you don't come out you just might have to starve."

A small white face peeked from behind a chair and looked warily at Fluttershy. Angel tentatively hopped towards her, his little body trembling the whole time. Fluttershy caressed his head with her hoof over and over, smiling to herself. She was probably petting Angel too harshly because when she was done, Angel's ears were slicked against his back. As Angel leaned forward to snatch a carrot from the bowl, Fluttershy pulled it away.

"Oh, you thought I was _actually_ going to feed you? How pathetic." Fluttershy snickered as Angel threw a tantrum and placed the bowl on the top of a shelf way too high for a short rabbit to reach. She landed next to Angel and folded her wings neatly to her side. "Come to think of it, I actually need to stock up at the market," she said thoughtfully to herself, her belly rumbling.

"Bye, Angel," Fluttershy cooed as she trotted towards the door. "Don't miss me too much." She slammed the door shut.

_Birdseed, grains… Wait. No, no, no. Hay. Yes. Celery, beetroot, tomatoes…_

"Would you keep it down?"

Fluttershy looked up to see Rainbow Dash sprawled out lazily on a cloud. Her sleepy face gave away that she had been resting there for a long time.

"Tch." Fluttershy ignored the complacent pegasus although she would have loved to send her flying back to Cloudsdale. Her hunger was so immense that it subdued her impatience.

As she cantered through Ponyville, Fluttershy received dark glares from many of the residents whose pets were currently in her custody. She let out a soft huff, refusing to be distracted as floating beach balls lazily drifted towards her. Subconsciously, she wondered what it would be like if Discord were gone; maybe she would have more animals to tease, more ponies to ridicule. It was all extremely amusing, really. Her sadistic mind found glee in thinking up absurd schemes. The next target would be Rainbow Dash, of course, if she were still there when Fluttershy returned.

As if on cue, an aggravating high-pitched squeal pierced the pegasus' thoughts. _Pinkie Pie_. Fluttershy snorted and contemplated ignoring her nagging desire to eavesdrop, but decided against it. Pressing her back against a tartan rock, Fluttershy raised her ears and pulled her mane and tail closer to her body.

"Mighty fine job fixing up the place," came a monotone reply. _Applejack_.

"My greatest work, don't you think?" Discord's voice was like honey for a sore throat. Fluttershy peeped around the rock in time to see the draconequus snap his fingers and a top hat appeared in his claw.

"But you know, I'm not alone," Discord insisted. "I'm not the only one who finds this fun."

Pinkie's defiant reply was hushed in a matter of split seconds by the spontaneous appearance of a zipper over her mouth. Discord's eyes met with Fluttershy's for a split second and he smiled charismatically. He tapped a wand against the side of the hat and the two earth ponies disappeared without a trace.

Afraid of being targeted herself, Fluttershy quickly dashed away. But a small voice in her head said that Discord would not harm her. And her heart fluttered.

* * *

**Author's note: **Hey, everyone! Just wanna say thanks for making it this far, it really means a lot to me. I've had this idea for a long time and a friend finally convinced me to put it up, so here it is! Please leave a review if you have the time, even if it's just a sentence or even a few words! I'd love your support.

Suggestions are also welcome since I'm working with a pretty flexible plot. And, of course, it'd be VERY inspiring. Happy reading, guys. c:


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